David Persley

Welcome back students! I am beyond excited to be back for my third year teaching math in the upper school. Courses I teach this year includeAlgebra 1, Geometry, AP Statistics, and Coding. I'm also excited to announce I will be Assistant Coaching Boys Basketball this Fall/Winter!

Hello again! My name is Mr. Persley, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where I majored in statistics and minored in mathematics. Go Badgers! During my years in college, I sung in an a cappella group, worked in the dormitories as an advisor, tutored, and taught at local schools in the greater Madison community.

I have always loved math and gravitated towards the subject, but college made me appreciate how important math is and how it applies to our everyday lives. Growing up, I had the perspective of seeing how many students struggle with math because their basic skills were not solidified at a young age. Math is the kind of subject that can seem daunting if we don’t have our fundamentals or could seem seem irrelevant or uninteresting. My goal as a teacher is to give the students the tools they need to not only understand math, but shift their perspectives to enjoy and appreciate math.

Although I am relatively new to the KCMO area, I have received so much support since being here. Some of my hobbies include, singing, playing basketball, ultimate frisbee, biking and longboarding. My first years here at UA have been a joy and I continue to look forward to the years ahead as I get to better know students and families.